I squeeze apricot scrub onto my palm. I set the container on the metal shower rack, letting the warm water cover my skin for a few moments before I reach for my feet. I massage the exfoliant around my toes and heels then carefully start to rinse it off.
White tiles line the space above the white tub, flanked by a clear shower curtain liner. I spot a speck of black on the plastic barrier as I switch feet. I freeze.
Stink bugs wage war against the homes in our area. They wait on door frames and porches until an unsuspecting person leaves the entrance unguarded, admitting these smelly, flying bugs. Hole in a window screen? They find it. If you smush a stink bug, guess what. They smell. Real bad. Even my killer cats chase stink bugs with hesitation.
I resist the urge to scream, but can’t stop from shuddering. How far I have fallen since my camp counselor days of bug indifference. I strategize that the shampoo bottle will make a great weapon in hand-to-bug combat.
I grip the bottle under the falling water and gently shake the liner. The black speck doesn’t move. I bend to get my face as close as I dare to the invader. No movement.
Wait a minute. I drop the bottle and rustle the liner furiously. Yup. It’s just the embedded magnet in the corner of the liner. I finish rinsing off the apricot scrub from my other foot as I roll my eyes.
Adventures in Low Vision 
Oh my gosh, I have TOTALLY done stuff like this before! I have freaked out, thinking that a string on on my jacket was a bug touching me or commenting to my dad about the giant bug on the wall up near the ceiling, only to be told it was a plant hook! So funny!
Joy: Thanks for stopping by. The best time to be wrong about what we see is when we mistake ordinary objects for bugs!